


We all hurt sometimes

by Toast_bastard



Series: Kiss it better [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Chronic Pain, Gen, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Hurt/Comfort, I wrote this in an hour, Injury, M/M, My First AO3 Post, Post-Canon, Self-Indulgent, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, author is projecting a little bit, sokka has chronic pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27330181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toast_bastard/pseuds/Toast_bastard
Summary: He sat up in bed, shivering when the cold air made contact with his bare skin. He would have to adjust back to the cold. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and pulled on his boots before letting his feet touch the floor. As soon as he put weight on his right leg, he felt a twinge of pain shoot up from his ankle up to his knee.So it was gonna be one of those days, then. Awesome.
Relationships: Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka & The Gaang (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Kiss it better [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091735
Comments: 42
Kudos: 271





	We all hurt sometimes

**Author's Note:**

> Sokka struggles with chronic pain. Hakoda knows more about it than Sokka thought.

Sokka cracked open his eyes, the white walls of his dad's guest igloo glaring brightly back at him. He had arrived back home last night, having left the Fire Nation a few days prior. Although he didn't _officially_ live there, he had spent a the last couple months helping Zuko out with all his duties. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, at least for now, but he knew his dad was expecting him to start preparing for the role of chief soon. Not that it was weighing on his mind, or anything. 

He sat up in bed, shivering when the cold air made contact with his bare skin. He would have to adjust back to the cold. He swung his legs over the side of his bed and pulled on his boots before letting his feet touch the floor. As soon as he put weight on his right leg, he felt a twinge of pain shoot up from his ankle up to his knee. 

So it was gonna be one of those days, then. Awesome. 

He dressed quickly to avoid the bitter cold, his fire having gone out in the night. He had definitely taken Zuko's whole _"inner fire"_ thing for granted. He gathered his hair into his wolftail, and he smiled when he saw that the ribbon he had brought with him was the red, silk one with the gold embroidery that Zuko had gotten him. He tied it tightly, then reached over to the table where he had placed his boomerang, and then paused. Did he really need it? He decided he did, because you could never be _too_ careful. He slipped it into its sheath oh his back and headed out the door, trying his best to ignore the ache in his bad leg.

He knocked on the door to his dad's office, unable to keep the grin from spreading across his face. Because he had gotten in so late last night, he hadn't gotten a chance to say hello to anyone. He was giddy with excitement, despite being almost twenty, he bounced on his toes as he hear shuffling footsteps coming towards the door. It swung open to reveal his dad

"Sokka! When did you get here?" Hakoda said, bracing him in a tight hug. Sokka closed his eyes, letting himself melt into his fathers warm embrace. He pulled away, and his dad gripped his arm, forearm to forearm before letting him go. 

"Just last night, actually. You got my letter, right?" He asked, taking in his dad's face. Over the years, his hair had started to gray at the temples, but other than that, the man barely aged. 

"Of course I did," he said, scanning Sokka with his eyes, a small twinkle forming when he saw the ribbon. "Your Fire Lord buddy get you that?" he asked teasingly, and Sokka felt his cheeks go warm with embarrassment. He hadn't really told his dad about him and Zuko, but apparently, Hakoda suspected something. Sokka found his voice

"Yeah, he did. So, what can I help with?" he asked, rubbing his hands together eagerly. His dad chukled, walking back into his office, and Sokka followed him. His dad sat down in his chair, folding his hands on the table.

"I personally don't have anything you can help with right now, but," he paused, moving a scroll to the side "Bato is leading a fishing trip later today. Maybe asks him?" he said, and Sokka tried not to let his disappointment show. He had really been looking forward to spending time with his dad, but he understood that he was a busy man.

"Okay, yeah that's cool. I'll go... I'll go check with Bato" he said, turning to leave. He was halfway out the door when his dad called his name.

"Sokka?" Sokka turned around spinning on his heel, which his leg protested against greatly. 

"What's up?" he asked, one foot out the door. Hakoda smiled.

"See you at dinner tonight?" he asked, and Sokka's grin returned. He nodded and gave his dad a huge thumbs up, and then left his dad's office. 

As he was walking around the village looking for Bato, the pain in his leg increased, and the worse it hurt, the more he tried to ignore it. 

He found Bato by the docs, and he was immediately greeted with a firm hug from the tall man, who didn't seem nearly as tall as he had when Sokka was fifteen. Almost as if Bato could read his thoughts, he put a hand on Sokka's shoulder

"You've gotten tall, kiddo, spirits" he said with a chuckle and Sokka grinned.

"Almost as tall as you" he retorted, and Bato laughed and shook his head

"In your dreams, kid. In your dreams." he said, his hands working on untying the boat from the dock. "you coming? It's a beautiful day" Bato said, and Sokka nodded, which made Bato grin. He gestured to the boat, as if to say _climb aboard_ , and Sokka didn't need to be told twice. He swung himself up onto the ladder, wincing as another jolt of pain traveled through his leg. He climbed up the ladder and stepped onto the ship, where he was greeted warmly by a few other tribesmen. 

Bato stepped onto the ship, which cued the other men that it was time to set sail, and Sokka watched as the men worked to get the ship sailing. He held onto the rails as the ship rocked, feeling his knee wobble. This could possibly be a very bad idea. 

The fishing trip was a huge success, and Sokka was thrilled to get the chance up to catch up with everyone, but his leg was _really_ starting to hurt, and he sat down for the trip back. Apparently, his pain wasn't as well-disguised as he thought, because Bato came over to him and sat down, hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay there? You got quiet" Bato said, and Sokka looked away, trying not to let his face give it away. 

"Yeah, yeah, totally. Just a little tires, I guess." he mumbled, his hand rubbing his leg in an effort to subtly relive some of his pain. 

"Sokka, look at me." Bato said, his second-in-command voice slipping into his words. Sokka looked over at Bato, who's eyebrows were knitted together in concern. "You know, you and your dad show pain the same way" he said with a small chuckle, and Sokka couldn't help but laugh. Trying to hide pain from someone who knew his family better than anyone was a stupid idea. 

"Is it that obvious?" he asked, now massaging his leg more openly. Bato gave his shoulder a squeeze, shaking his head.

"Only to me. Promise." he said, and Sokka gave him a weak smile. With a final hair ruffle, Bato stood up to help the other men dock the boat. Oh, they were back. He slowly stood up, the pain radiating to his hip. He winced, grabbing the rails once again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bato giving him a worried look. He let go of the rails, going to help with the crates, despite the now persistent throb in his leg. The pain flared in protest as he carried the crate off the boat, and when he set it down, he made eye contact with Bato, who gestured for him to go. Sokka muttered a quick thank you, then walked as quickly as he could back to his hut, his weight shifting more and more to his left side, until eventually, he was just limping. He remembered the last time his pain had flared up this bad, back in the Fire Nation. 

_"Sokka? What's wrong?" Zuko was holding most of Sokka's weight up. Sokka had tripped while walking back to their room after dinner, and Zuko had rushed to his side when he cried out in pain when his knee had hit the hard floor._

_"Help me up?" he said, his voice thin with pain. Wordlessly, Zuko helped Sokka stand, his arm firmly around Sokka's waist. Sokka leaned into him, shooting pains traveling from his ankle all the way up to his hip. He grimaced, Zuko helping him slowly to their bedroom. It seemed so far away, but Zuko was there the whole time, his arm never moving from Sokka's waist, his attention never wavering. He could tell his boyfriend was worried, but he was in far too much pain to utter an explanation._

_When they finally got to their bedroom, Sokka saw Zuko whisper something to their guard, and he felt his cheeks burn in shame. How many people had seen him like this?_

_Zuko sat him down on the edge of their bed, and Sokka let out a shaky sigh of relief as the pressure on his leg from standing went away. Zuko's eyes were filled with worry._

_"Sokka, talk to me. What hurts, love?" he asked, his raspy voice as gentle as he could make it, and Sokka rubbed his leg, trying to relieve some of his pain, but when he tripped, the impact had reignited the old injury._

_"I must've hit a bad spot, I think it's from when I broke it, day of the comet" he said, his voiced strained. Zuko sat down next to him, pressing a kiss to his temple._

_"What can I do?" he asked, rubbing Sokka's back, and Sokka shrugged, his eyes stinging with tears as the gnawing pain in his leg persisted. He sniffed, trying not to cry as Zuko brushed the strands of hair that had fallen loose out of Sokka's face._

_"It just hurts" he said, his voice breaking, and Zuko wrapped his arm around Sokka's back, kissing his head._

Without meaning to, he had walked himself back to his dad's office. He stopped when got to the stairs. No. No way. That was _not_ happening, he decided. He took a seat on the waiting bench, his leg thanking him. He sighed as the pain dulled, but not enough for him to take the stairs. From across the room, he spotted a lady he recognized from some meeting a while back. He couldn't remember her name, but he waved her down anyways. She approached him, her smile warm.

"Hi, can I help you?" she asked cheerily, and Sokka nodded. 

"Yes, actually. Could you please get my dad for me?" he asked, trying not to sound as small as he felt. Confusion, then worry flashed across the woman's face before she nodded, wordlessly heading up the stairs. 

Sokka leaned backwards, exhaling slowly out of his mouth and closing his eyes. Nothing, as far as he could tell, had triggered the pain today, but then again, he had cramped himself up in the ship bunks on his way here. 

"Sokka? What's wrong?" His dad's voice said, and Sokka flinched, looking up to see his father's worried face above him. Sokka felt small, sitting there, looking up at his dad, but there was nothing he could do to change that.

"My leg hurts," he whispered, not daring to raise his voice. He was on the verge of tears, not just from the (thankfully) dulling pain in his leg, but from frustration. He was stronger than this. "It- it hurts" he said again, and Hakoda took a seat next to him.

"What do you need, son?" he asked, his voice clearly worried. Sokka looked at him and sighed. 

"I know it's really dumb-" he started, but his dad stopped him

"Nonsense. You're in pain, from your leg, right?" he said, his eyes taking on the problem-solving-chief look. Sokka nodded. "Well, something that always helps me is some hot towels and your Gran-Gran's care" he said with a smile, and Sokka raised his eyebrows

"You... You have this kind of thing too? Like, old injuries still hurting you, I mean?" he asked, his embarrassment fading. His dad nodded, putting a hand on Sokka's shoulder. 

"I do. Especially as I got older. War is hard on the body, Sokka." he said, standing up and offering his hand to Sokka, who took it. He carefully stood, avoiding putting weight on his right side. He stumbled, but his dad caught him. 

"Thanks" he muttered, shifting so that he could balance. Hakoda let Sokka lean on him, and together they walked out of the office. 

"Sokka, look at me" Hakoda said, his tone gentle. Sokka turned his head to look at his father. They were the same height, Sokka maybe even a bit taller. 

"Yeah?" he asked, not breaking eye contact. His dad gave him a reassuring smile, the fine lines by his eyes crinkling. 

"It's gonna be okay. We all hurt sometimes." he said, and Sokka believed him, a weak smile spreading across his face. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first posted fic! This was pretty self-indulgent, I really just wanted to use it to figure out how AO3 works and whatnot. I have a much longer modern au that I’m working on, which should be up fairly soon, but this is an idea I wanted to explore anyways, and I needed to kinda test AO3 out a bit, so thanks for bearing with me
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> Edit: thank y’all so much for the kudos and comments I honestly didn’t think this would get any attention at all!!


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